꧁ LIFE and DEATH ꧂

CYCLONE

A/N: Angst with a sweet ending. Also, this is totally unedited. XD I can't read this without crying, so . . . (I'm weak when it comes to angst)

"The deadliest outbreak of tornadoes for years--"

"Families are asked to stay inside--"

"Get to a basement, or a bathtub--"

Nene felt a tear drip down her cheek.

Why, why had she chosen this year to go to America? It would have been fine to spend her summer in Japan, so why hadn't she.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay," Amane hugged her tighter but didn't stop walking.

That just made Nene cry harder.

She had dragged Amane to North America. She had convinced him to come with her Mississippi in the middle of April, tornado season. She was going to get him killed.

"Hey, it's okay," Amane smiled. The two were on their way to a tornado shelter. The apartment they had rented was on the third floor, so it wasn't the best place to be.

"A-Amane-kun, I d-don't w-want--"

"Yashiro, nothing's going to happen." He rubbed her back.

"But . . ."

We could die today.

They both heard the unspoken words.

We could die today and never see our families again. These hours could be our last.

Then the sirens went off.

Nene jumped as they started. Amane broke into a sprint.

"Come on!"

A school had become a shelter in the time of need, hundreds of families packed in together. Amane pulled on the door, but it was locked.

He slammed his fist on the door. A minute later, a woman in her early twenties opened the door.

"We only have room for one."

"What?" Nene asked, eyes wide. The woman bit her lip.

"We've got everyone smashed together, both figuratively and literally. So, we only have room for one more. Any more and we could compromise the safety of everyone here."

Another woman appeared behind the first. "Claire, we have to move. The tornado could come any minute."

"Just a minute, Georgia." Claire frowned and Georgia hurried away. "So, who's coming?"

But when she turned to Amane, he was pushing the door back open to step outside.

"Amane!" Nene jumped for the boy, clinging to his arm. Amane looked at her with sad eyes.

"You heard her. Room for just one more."

"Yeah, one more," Nene said. "But I'm sure we could both fit!"

Amane pulled her into a tight hug. "I don't want to risk your safety. You're going to the basement, and that's final."

"No!" Nene's voice was muffled, since her face was pushed into Amane's chest.

He laughed.

Addressing the woman behind them (who was apparently called Claire), he said, "Make sure she gets into the basement." Claire nodded.

"N-no!" Nene insisted. "You have to--"

Amane crashed his lips into her, shutting off the stream of words.

When he pulled away, he was crying. "Stay safe."

He pushed the door open and disappeared outside.

"No . . ." Nene's mind was slow to catch up. "N-no, you can't--"

But he held the door closed, making sure Nene couldn't follow him. She screamed at the door, watching his face through the tiny glass window. His hair whipped around his head in the fast wind.

"Come on--" Clair tried to pull Nene towards the basement, but Nene fought back.

"P-please . . ." she sobbed. "A-amane . . ."

More hands grabbed her, pulling her away from the door. Her eyes filled with tears. And the last thing, the very last thing she saw was Amane.

From behind the tiny glass window, he mouthed one last thing.

I love you.

~~_~~

"I can do this . . ."

Nene pushed open the front door. It was her very first day of her very last year of high school.

A year she should have spent with Amane.

Just thinking about him brought tears to her eyes.

The boy that had filled her life with joy, who could talk for hours on end about the moon, and who could smile through anything . . .

He was gone.

"Nene-chan!" Aoi grinned, appearing in front of her friend. Nene gave her a half-hearted smile.

"Hey, Aoi-chan."

"Are you still depressed about . . . you know?"

Nene looked away.

"You know, I heard this interesting rumor the other day." Aoi took her friend's hand and walked to their classroom. "They say there's a ghost who grants wishes! On the third floor of the old building, in the third stall from the end, you'll find Hanako-san. They'll grant your wish. So, go find them!"

"Aoi-chan . . ." Nene laughed quietly. "Do you really believe that?"

Aoi bobbed her head. "Mhh-hmm! And there's, like, 15 minutes until class starts, so-- go!"

"Alright, I will."

~~_~~

Knock knock knock

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san, are you there?"

"Do you have a wish?"

Nene jumped and looked around. The voice reverberated through the bathroom, so she couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Y-yes," she said. "I, uh, want to see Amane Yugi again."

"What happened to him?"

"H-he died . . . and I l-love him . . ." Nene didn't realize she was crying until a hand wiped away the tears on her cheek.

"You do, do you?"

Nene stared at the amber eyes in front of her.

"Hey, Yashiro."

"A-amane?!"

A/N:

Oh, hmm . . . I have a bit of a problem. See that little star down there, towards the bottom of the page? Yes, the one that says 'vote' next to it. I'm having a little trouble reaching it, so would you click it for me?

Oh, thank you!

Yeah, sorry for not posting for a couple of days. I've been starting oneshots, then pausing to start another, then another, then . . . yeah. XD You get it.

I have a question for you guys: What's your favorite food, and-- why?

(One more thing-- did anyone catch the joke about the two women's names? XD Dnf Genderswap, y'all)

Stay safe and healthy!

~~ Author-chan ~~